Concerning statins research, a reader writes:
PCSK9 drugs are available for humans now. And they work. They’re common in Europe and have caused cardiac surgery rates to fall by at least one third. But US medical insurance won’t pay for these drugs. Ask me how I know. Spoiler: I’m married to a man who has had quad-bypass surgery and can’t tolerate statins. Yet his insurance refuses to pay for the PCSK9 drug that his cardiologist – the top doctor at the U of M – has prescribed. The cardiologist’s nurse told us that her heart breaks when a patient dies even though there’s a medicine that could have prevented it. I only hope that my husband isn’t one of them.
I wonder if the author of the article missed some information on economical PCSK9 drugs. I’m also interested to hear that reducing PSCK9 is a viable option even after a patient has suffered heart damage.
